


Magneto's Redemption

by Ook



Category: X-Men: First Class (2011) - Fandom
Genre: Crack, Humour, I'm Sorry, M/M, Not tagging, So very sorry, The author should stop, just stop, kink meme response
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-12-06
Updated: 2012-12-06
Packaged: 2017-11-20 11:40:45
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,139
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/585025
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ook/pseuds/Ook
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Kink meme prompt response. Prompter wanted Erik to lose his evil, harsh reputation as a mutant terrorist by accident. </p><p>Well, what can you <i>do</i>, with a prompt like that, except inject it as full as possible with crack and pad it out a bit with some fluff?</p><p>Well, what could <i>I</i> do, any way. <i>You</i> could probably write something better, reader.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

_**“Magneto Redeemed!?”** _

The headlines of the latest tabloid rag shrieked the lie in 12 point type. Erik threw it away, angrily, before anyone else in the Brotherhood caught sight of it and risked snickering in front of him. He was not "redeemed"! Humans, as ever, misunderstood the complex relationships they stood in with a leader of the Homo Superior. As one of the better men; Magneto did not _need_ to be redeemed. Erik didn’t _want_ to be considered redeemed by a society of beings he and his would one day surpass. As was their right. Charles was going to laugh himself sick.

How had this been allowed to happen?

Like much of Erik’s life, it started with a child watching his parent being threatened with a gun by a ruthless man. Fortunately for this particular child in question they had not been in a death camp, and Erik was no longer the helpless boy at the mercy of others. Charles had succeeded where the Herr Doktor had failed, in unlocking Erik’s gifts for him, and the terrible events at Cuba were several years in the past.

He’d not been wearing his Magneto regalia; visits to the bank often went better when one was not wearing a cape and helmet outfit, however well co-ordinated they were. And, until there were enough financially savvy mutants around to open and run an all mutant bank, the Brotherhood was forced to bank with Merrill Lynch. Which meant Erik had to occasionally appear and sign paperwork, discuss money movements, and so on. Given how easy Swiss bankers were to over-awe, Erik wasn’t risking their secrecy there. Meeting over, Erik had needed coffee, and a snack. So he’d headed to the nearest coffee shop to wait for Azazel to realise he was needed. 

And then the robbery had happened. Magneto had had no intention of letting himself get involved; humans were allowed to be as hateful as they wished to each other. Erik had no part in it. He only cared about his fellow mutants. None of the bullets could harm him, of course, but he'd decided against alerting anyone to that fact. He’d rolled his eyes, and crouched on the floor with his hands of his head with the rest of the (non mutant) sheep when the would-be robbers crashed in. And that would have been that, apart from a few minor facts.

Firstly?  
The robbers had obviously all been on one drug or another. Poor co ordination, paranoia and mood swings were in evidence. Magneto disapproved.

Secondly?  
One of them had formed the brilliant idea of robbing the customers, when the till contents turned out to be less than they had wanted.

And finally?

They had decided the child of the waitress was the best person to force to collect the customers’ valuables. By holding a gun on his mother.

In front of _Erik Lensherr._

Clearly, they would have a detrimental effect on the gene pool, if they were allowed to succeed in this robbery, and bred, thereafter. Really, Erik had to do something, just in the interests of self preservation. There was the further possibility that such suicidal stupidity might be contagious. Erik sighed deeply, stuck all the guns to the ceiling, bound the robbers together neatly in cutlery handcuffs, and paid for his muffin. 

He left a tip in the tip jar, and turned to leave. As he walked past, Erik nodded courteously to the wide eyed human child, who was currently desperately clinging to his mother. He left before the wailing sirens turned into Authority demanding answers Erik had no intention of giving to anyone. Just before the door closed, he heard a round of applause, and wondered how _that_ was supposed to help with anything.

In retrospect, Erik had to conclude, that he might have been a little… ostentatious. Given that while the human public might not be able to recognise him on sight, sans cape and helmet, they were all certainly aware of his gifts with metal. Such as guns. And… cutlery.  
Still, he hadn’t expected it to, well, _go_ anywhere. He’d been under threat, he’d reacted to it. And if the only reason he hadn’t smeared the robbers across the floor of the diner in pieces had been because of a child’s eyes, well. No one (other than Emma) had to know. Humans were notoriously lacking in gratitude, as he often had to remind Charles. That had been the first incident. 

Charles had been so _pleased_ with him when he heard about it, Erik hadn’t the heart to deny the mysterious metal bender had been himself.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Erik is a _ruthless criminal_ , you know. Sometimes he does good things as a part of his evil plans, that's all.
> 
>  
> 
> Stop laughing.

The second incident had been in a hospital, and had not included any robbers. Magneto had been there to… acquire medical supplies for one hide out or another. He’d been undercover. In an official hospital visitor’s outfit, or course- it would have been a simple matter to mark down the supplies for Azazel to take once the place was quieter. Some how, things hadn’t worked out that way. It was the nurse’s fault.

Erik had no time for human doctors, of course, but nurses he had a little more respect for. He knew how much hard work there was involved in caring for others, which is why he didn’t. Care, that is. The nurse had seen his disguise, assumed he’d had the criminal background check his fake ID promised, and shoved him in the direction of a roomful of sick teenagers. They’d been expecting a visit from some famous human or another, who was late. 

They got Magneto.

Erik had been a little shaken by the sight of the chemo patients. He didn’t like seeing the skinny bald children in pyjamas. That was all. And he had to maintain his cover. Otherwise he would simply have walked through the ward, and left. However, he’d been shocked enough to ask a question - “What’s wrong with _you_?” to be precise (well, he’d never made a claim to possessing tact) - and wait around for the answer. And then they’d asked Erik who he was, and he’d told them. And then they’d told him to prove it.

Piqued, he had. 

Erik had chosen to prove he was Magneto by mostly peaceful means. The teenagers were powerless, and sick. He had no quarrel with them yet. And perhaps, if he impressed them with the powers mutation had given him, these human teenagers might be more accepting of their subordinate place in the world, when they became adults. If they were entertained Magneto as well, that was purely a disguise for his cunning plans. _Purely_ a _disguise_.

He started by levitating the metal framed beds. After he’d placed them and their giggling contents back on the floor, he’d begun making clockwork toys out of change. Once he had a small army of them marching round the floor, over human feet and under beds resolutely, he’d moved on to all the other little tricks he and Charles had used to develop his fine control- making tin foil dance, shaping tin cans into metal bouquets that would never fade or wilt, and so on.

He might, Erik had had to concede, have got a little carried away. Just a little. But it had worked, damnit. The kids had known the locations for all the supplies, the Brotherhood would ever need, plus some Erik hoped none of them would ever need. And they’d volunteered as distractions whenever Azazel actually appeared to re locate them. That was not the same thing as setting up a fan or youth club. It _wasn’t._

And if, after he’d located the healing mutant who’d been able to restore Charles’s spine, the trip to Charles’s school had included a side journey to a minor hospital nowhere in particular, well. No one was supposed to know. The mutant kept muttering about medical privacy anyway, and the teens had all promised silence in returned for being allowed to act as Magneto’s guinea pigs. Erik needed to be sure this mutant had the depth of healing gift Charles would need, didn’t he? Why _not_ test it out on humans?

He hadn’t told Charles, of course. He’d simply told the mutant with the healing powers that his gifts would be better used at Charles’ precious school. And extracted a promise from Charles that the man would allow Brotherhood members on site for _“life saving healing only, Erik.”_ Magneto didn’t mind the restriction. Too easy an access to healing, and his Brotherhood would never learn to protect themselves properly. Really, that was all he’d done. A couple of perfectly understandable events get twisted out of context, and now the humans greet his costumed form with waves and cheering. It’s unnerving, how the sheep can’t tell the difference between a wolf and a shepherd. Magneto- Erik is no hero. He can never save anyone, not even himself. Grimly, Erik waits until their current, misguided affection turns back into hatred. It will happen, eventually, he’s sure. Eventually.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When people decide you're not a monster, terrible things happen, you know. _Terrible things_
> 
>  
> 
> Just ask Erik.

Really, the amount of disrespect, or affection the humans have for Magneto now, is catching. Azazel has taken to dropping the letters and drawings from the coffeehouse and the formerly sick teens onto his head, instead of delivering them in his usual respectful manner. Emma has started to giggle at him, when he suggests undercover missions. Raven has forgotten herself so far as to actually _hug_ him, on more than one occasion. 

It’s all very disturbing, he tells Charles, when he can catch him. The telepath has taken up marathon running; now his legs are back in working order. Charles simply smiles, and reminds Erik he knew there was good in him from the start. This is not helpful. He tells Charles this, and Charles smiles. Erik thinks all the running Charles does is a little unnecessary, but he doesn’t say anything. Then again, with Charles, he doesn’t have to. Charles knows how Magneto thinks. Perhaps that’s why he’s caught off guard by the third event. Some mutants need rescuing; their special school is a detainment facility, nothing more. The school is located not too far from a town; when he and the Brotherhood appear, they’re in full regalia. 

The townsfolk’s behaviour is… odd. They _welcome_ the Brotherhood, and they want to know why they’re here, in this little town so far away from anything apart from the quiet military school nearby. Raven tells them about the school, and what goes on there. Magneto backs her up. The entire Brotherhood is taken aback by the reaction that follows. Apparently, some of the children from the town got into the “school” on scholarships. They are unhappy to hear of the school's real purpose.

As it turns out, a bunch of angry farmers and townsfolk can _really_ kick ass when they want to. It's quite beautiful to watch.

Erik takes the children to Charles. _All_ of them. He wants to see how the telepath deals with the integration of mutant and non mutant he apparently prefers to Erik’s affections, now. Watch him put his money where his mouth is, and so on. Charles is very fond of talking, as fond as he is of running; but maybe fifty terrified children, mutants and human, will slow him down a little. That was _not_ supposed to look like Magneto was supporting integration himself. Reluctantly, Erik accepts Emma’s advice, and allows himself to be interviewed by journalists. He has no idea how what he says to them produces the redemption speculation it does. Damnit, he _told_ them why he stopped the robbery. He _told_ them why he attacked the school. Why do people never _listen_ to him properly?

He complains, to Charles, who laughs. Traitor.  
“Only you, Erik.” (and inwardly, Erik is delighted Charles has gone back to using that name, and stopped calling him Magneto.)   
“Only you would be angry because people are thinking too well of you.”  
“I’m not angry!” Erik snaps. Charles quirks an eyebrow. He sags. “I just…” there is a pause. Charles hums, encouragingly.

“Why can’t people recognise the monsters they meet?” he says, and it is not pathetic. “I am _not a good man_.“  
“Perhaps because, my friend” -and Charles’ voice suddenly becomes so serious Erik straightens up, automatically, “Because, my friend, you are _not_ a monster.”  
“I’m no hero!” Erik sneers. “I've failed far too often for that! I hurt you, I-“ Charles puts a finger to Erik’s lips. Erik blinks at him. He tries to look down his own nose at Charles finger, actually touching his skin again. He finds he has completely lost the thread of his argument, now.  
“Not. A. Monster.” Charles says, again. “Just a man.” And he beams, and licks his lips.

Erik decides to (temporarily) abandon the argument in favour of proving to Charles there is no ‘just’ about _his_ manhood.

Charles is strangely amenable to this idea.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short, cracky, and not that good, but I like it. Please let me know if yoou like it, too. Thank you. :)


End file.
